Its Goodbye Defender 😦

It was too soon to hand back the keys to the 90;  handover time came and I just wanted to get climb back into it, or at least another Defender…. So why have I got this Fiesta?

Ultimately, I wanted something quicker. I love the Defender but the main bugbear was that it was just that bit too slow – Yes, I wanted slow, but not a sloth! I couldn’t get hold of a special edition model with the uprated 150ps engine and that was enough for me to consider elsewhere for its replacement.

A factor that was becoming a greater priority was that the Fiesta would be more London-friendly too. After a recent relocation, the idea of having a Defender in London was great (there are two on my road alone), but getting it in to London would be a pig – my left leg would probably just fall off. Sorry, but I can’t afford a helicopter to transit it in!

I wanted to jump straight back in to a Fiesta ST – and even toyed with the idea of a Focus ST – but for several reasons I decided to go for this puny thing:

1. Wringing out a small engine sounds just as much fun.
2. I’ve yet to see what the hype is all about with this 1.0-litre.
3. After being ‘Defender-slow’, I may as well work my way up the Power chain rather than jumping back up the scale.
4. The uprated 138bhp output in the Black/Red Editions had just been made standard for the Zetec S this summer (from 123bhp).

Sold!

First impressions so far:

• It feels weird being so low to the ground.
• It’s nice to have direct steering!
• Cornering no longer requires faith and physical counter-leaning.

• All the Driver’s controls (gearlever, pedals) are intuitively right where you want them to be – I can heel & toe again!!
• I keep searching for the handbrake in the footwell.
• Stop / Start is flawless.
• I don’t buy into the remarks from others of it “sounding like half a V6”!

For what effectively is the power output of a 2.0-litre engine back in the day, it’s not as quick as I would expect in a car this small; especially when a Mini Cooper with the same engine configuration (136bhp, 170lb ft) can do the 0-62mph run in 7.9 seconds.

The chassis really does feel like the best balance though between the standard models and the ST – it feels stiffer than I remember from our previous MK7 Zetec S’s too but I’ll see over time…

So, I’ve lost 4WD, more than half the CC’s, and a cylinder; yet with an easier life ahead of me. At least I won’t have to tint 9 bastard windows any more!

Spec: Zetec S Ecoboost 140 2015.5MY
Engine: 1.0 Turbo Petrol, 138bhp, 155lb ft
Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
Mpg: Official: 62.8mpg Achieved: 43 - 47mpg
Performance: 0-62mph: 9.0 Secs, 125mph
Colour: Candy Red
Running Period: Autumn 2015 – Present
Options -  Modena Full Leather Pack (Inc Heated Seats), 14" Spare wheel, Rear Privacy Glass, EATC Climate Control, Cruise Control, Automatic Headlights, Convenience Pack (Keyless Entry, Starter Button, Folding Door Mirrors & Puddle Lights), City Pack (Parking Sensors & Electric Door Mirrors), Active City Stop, Ford Navigation / DAB System